Artists Performing

Alabama Biography

It's been 40 years since a trio of young cousins left Fort Payne, Alabama, to spend the summer playing in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, bar called The Bowery. It took Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook six long years of tip jars and word of mouth to earn the major label deal they'd been dreaming of, but then seemingly no time at all to change the face of country music.

ALABAMA is the band that changed everything. They reeled off 21 straight #1 singles, a record that will probably never be equaled in any genre. They brought youthful energy, sex appeal and a rocking edge that broadened country's audience and opened the door to self-contained bands from then on, and they undertook a journey that led, 73 million albums later, to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

ALABAMA & Friends commemorates that summer at The Bowery and catalogues the lasting influence the group has had on generations of Country stars who draw inspiration from the sparkling harmonies, irresistible stage presence and world-class songwriting and song selection that made them superstars. It brings together some of Country's biggest stars, each bringing a unique musical approach to classic ALABAMA songs that have influenced them.

The diversity and star power of the artists speaks volumes about the breadth and depth of ALABAMA's legacy. Contributing their own versions of Alabama classics are Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Jamey Johnson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, and Trisha Yearwood.

"I thank God I'm here to see these great artists see fit to sing some of the songs we did," says Randy, with the Everyman sincerity that has helped so many identify with the humbly born superstars.

"It's very much an honor," adds Jeff, "that they'd take part in an ALABAMA tribute. We had a lot of fun working with them, and I think the finished product testifies to both the fun and the quality that went into it."

The songs chosen for the project represent just the tip of the iceberg that is the band's catalog, but they speak, to hear Teddy tell it, to the key to the band's legacy.

"More than anything," he says, "our longevity is a tribute to the hard work we did in selecting songs, because it's the songs that people remember."

The songs here are, of course, among the most memorable in country history. Included are "My Home's In Alabama," the band's first major hit and the song that introduced them to the world; "Tennessee River," their very first #1; "Old Flame" and "Love in the First Degree," from their second RCA album; "Lady Down On Love," a harmony-laden example of Randy's songwriting prowess; "The Closer You Get," released halfway through their streak of 21 chart-toppers; "She And I," from the mid-'80s; and "Forever's As Far As I'll Go" and "I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)," which helped kick off the '90s, in which the boys earned 29 more chart hits, including 22 #1 or Top 5 singles.

Capping the project are two new tracks by ALABAMA, songs that find the band making music that sounds both classic and relevant. They worked with legendary producer Harold Shedd, who worked with them in those golden early days and went on to discover Shania Twain, Toby Keith and many others.

"I suggested to Jeff and Teddy that Harold work with us on the new stuff," says Randy, "and they agreed. It was spine-tingling when he said yes. It's a story-book episode in my life and in the career of ALABAMA to have Harold being on board and to see him as excited as we were after all these years."

"We hadn't worked together in years," adds Shedd, "but within a couple of hours we had some things that sounded like ALABAMA did in 1980. It was like ALABAMA reborn."

"I always worry about putting out anything new at this point," Teddy says with a laugh, "knowing it has to stand up to a pretty strong track record," but agrees the new material does just that. He calls "That's How I Was Raised" "right down the heart of the plate simple country song that showcases our harmonies," and "All American" "a song that says a lot of things that need to be said about our country."

The project came about as the trio realized their 40th anniversary was at hand.

"We got to talking and said, 'Let's do some shows and play some of the places we haven't played before, like the Ryman and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta,'" says Teddy.

"We kicked off the tour in Myrtle Beach and took our music back to our fans," adds Jeff. "We've all done enjoyable projects separately in the years since our last tour, but we all realize we're stronger as a unit."

"And then as we talked," says Randy, "we started talking about a CD project and maybe getting some other artists involved."

The format they chose enables them to celebrate those humble beginnings and their stratospheric accomplishments. Of the former, Jeff says, "I don't think we thought too far ahead. We were more concerned with paying our bills at the end of the week playing music."

The Bowery was a chance to get established outside their home turf, where they'd played a nearby theme park, opening for national acts like Bobby Bare.

"We believed we had something pretty special from a vocal standpoint," says Teddy, "and we were looking for the opportunity to prove it. There were a lot of times when we wondered whether we might be better off going back home and getting jobs, but we just kept rehearsing and writing songs, trying to get better and believing we could do it."

"I went to see them at The Bowery," says Shedd, "and the sound that these three guys could create together was just really something. I saw the crowd reacting to music they'd never heard before as though they had. They were doing some covers, but a lot of the ALABAMA show at the time was original material, including stuff that wound up on the first three albums we did together."

The band was revolutionary in more than one sense.

"We were renegades in sneakers and T-shirts," says Teddy. "We had long hair and played loud and some of the country folks resisted us for a while. But then of course they did accept us and then after that, our success made it lots easier for other bands to try it in country music."

The fact that some of the heirs of that legacy--Eli Young Band, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line--are among the stars paying tribute on Alabama & Friends is part of their legacy as surely as the awards and plaudits they've earned through the years. And those, of course, have been legion. They include more than 150 major industry nods, including two Grammys, the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian award, Entertainer of the Year awards three times from the CMA and five times from the ACM, as well as the latter's Artist of the Decade award. They earned 21 Gold ®, Platinum ® and Multi-Platinum ® albums and were named the RIAA's Country Group of the Century.

But awards are only a part of a legacy that finds its most important home in the hearts of listeners everywhere. Some of those are superstars in other genres, as Randy found out not long ago.

"I was part of a benefit concert at the Ryman," he says, "and I look over there's Jon Bon Jovi. He walked over and said hello and it turns out he likes our music."

Many more, of course, are everyday country fans.

"A lot of fans will start a conversation with, 'I don't want to bother you,'" says Jeff, "but what they don't understand is that everything that's happened to us, every one of those awards, happened because we've been accepted and supported by our fans."

Not long ago, Teddy was witness to a scene that shows that their legacy of song remains as fresh as it was when that streak in the '80s kicked it all off.

"I was in Nashville," he says, "walking by this club full of young people--I'm talking 18 or 20. The band started playing 'Dixieland Delight' and everybody in the place started singing and sang all the way through. I had to smile at the longevity of the songs. Maybe some of those kids didn't even know who ALABAMA was, but they knew the music, and so I think that's a tribute to the fact that we spent a career putting out good songs that stand the test of time."

With ALABAMA & Friends, all of us who agree get to celebrate that accomplishment and its legacy one more time.

Alabama Biography

It's been 40 years since a trio of young cousins left Fort Payne, Alabama, to spend the summer playing in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, bar called The Bowery. It took Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook six long years of tip jars and word of mouth to earn the major label deal they'd been dreaming of, but then seemingly no time at all to change the face of country music.

ALABAMA is the band that changed everything. They reeled off 21 straight #1 singles, a record that will probably never be equaled in any genre. They brought youthful energy, sex appeal and a rocking edge that broadened country's audience and opened the door to self-contained bands from then on, and they undertook a journey that led, 73 million albums later, to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

ALABAMA & Friends commemorates that summer at The Bowery and catalogues the lasting influence the group has had on generations of Country stars who draw inspiration from the sparkling harmonies, irresistible stage presence and world-class songwriting and song selection that made them superstars. It brings together some of Country's biggest stars, each bringing a unique musical approach to classic ALABAMA songs that have influenced them.

The diversity and star power of the artists speaks volumes about the breadth and depth of ALABAMA's legacy. Contributing their own versions of Alabama classics are Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Jamey Johnson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, and Trisha Yearwood.

"I thank God I'm here to see these great artists see fit to sing some of the songs we did," says Randy, with the Everyman sincerity that has helped so many identify with the humbly born superstars.

"It's very much an honor," adds Jeff, "that they'd take part in an ALABAMA tribute. We had a lot of fun working with them, and I think the finished product testifies to both the fun and the quality that went into it."

The songs chosen for the project represent just the tip of the iceberg that is the band's catalog, but they speak, to hear Teddy tell it, to the key to the band's legacy.

"More than anything," he says, "our longevity is a tribute to the hard work we did in selecting songs, because it's the songs that people remember."

The songs here are, of course, among the most memorable in country history. Included are "My Home's In Alabama," the band's first major hit and the song that introduced them to the world; "Tennessee River," their very first #1; "Old Flame" and "Love in the First Degree," from their second RCA album; "Lady Down On Love," a harmony-laden example of Randy's songwriting prowess; "The Closer You Get," released halfway through their streak of 21 chart-toppers; "She And I," from the mid-'80s; and "Forever's As Far As I'll Go" and "I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)," which helped kick off the '90s, in which the boys earned 29 more chart hits, including 22 #1 or Top 5 singles.

Capping the project are two new tracks by ALABAMA, songs that find the band making music that sounds both classic and relevant. They worked with legendary producer Harold Shedd, who worked with them in those golden early days and went on to discover Shania Twain, Toby Keith and many others.

"I suggested to Jeff and Teddy that Harold work with us on the new stuff," says Randy, "and they agreed. It was spine-tingling when he said yes. It's a story-book episode in my life and in the career of ALABAMA to have Harold being on board and to see him as excited as we were after all these years."

"We hadn't worked together in years," adds Shedd, "but within a couple of hours we had some things that sounded like ALABAMA did in 1980. It was like ALABAMA reborn."

"I always worry about putting out anything new at this point," Teddy says with a laugh, "knowing it has to stand up to a pretty strong track record," but agrees the new material does just that. He calls "That's How I Was Raised" "right down the heart of the plate simple country song that showcases our harmonies," and "All American" "a song that says a lot of things that need to be said about our country."

The project came about as the trio realized their 40th anniversary was at hand.

"We got to talking and said, 'Let's do some shows and play some of the places we haven't played before, like the Ryman and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta,'" says Teddy.

"We kicked off the tour in Myrtle Beach and took our music back to our fans," adds Jeff. "We've all done enjoyable projects separately in the years since our last tour, but we all realize we're stronger as a unit."

"And then as we talked," says Randy, "we started talking about a CD project and maybe getting some other artists involved."

The format they chose enables them to celebrate those humble beginnings and their stratospheric accomplishments. Of the former, Jeff says, "I don't think we thought too far ahead. We were more concerned with paying our bills at the end of the week playing music."

The Bowery was a chance to get established outside their home turf, where they'd played a nearby theme park, opening for national acts like Bobby Bare.

"We believed we had something pretty special from a vocal standpoint," says Teddy, "and we were looking for the opportunity to prove it. There were a lot of times when we wondered whether we might be better off going back home and getting jobs, but we just kept rehearsing and writing songs, trying to get better and believing we could do it."

"I went to see them at The Bowery," says Shedd, "and the sound that these three guys could create together was just really something. I saw the crowd reacting to music they'd never heard before as though they had. They were doing some covers, but a lot of the ALABAMA show at the time was original material, including stuff that wound up on the first three albums we did together."

The band was revolutionary in more than one sense.

"We were renegades in sneakers and T-shirts," says Teddy. "We had long hair and played loud and some of the country folks resisted us for a while. But then of course they did accept us and then after that, our success made it lots easier for other bands to try it in country music."

The fact that some of the heirs of that legacy--Eli Young Band, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line--are among the stars paying tribute on Alabama & Friends is part of their legacy as surely as the awards and plaudits they've earned through the years. And those, of course, have been legion. They include more than 150 major industry nods, including two Grammys, the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian award, Entertainer of the Year awards three times from the CMA and five times from the ACM, as well as the latter's Artist of the Decade award. They earned 21 Gold ®, Platinum ® and Multi-Platinum ® albums and were named the RIAA's Country Group of the Century.

But awards are only a part of a legacy that finds its most important home in the hearts of listeners everywhere. Some of those are superstars in other genres, as Randy found out not long ago.

"I was part of a benefit concert at the Ryman," he says, "and I look over there's Jon Bon Jovi. He walked over and said hello and it turns out he likes our music."

Many more, of course, are everyday country fans.

"A lot of fans will start a conversation with, 'I don't want to bother you,'" says Jeff, "but what they don't understand is that everything that's happened to us, every one of those awards, happened because we've been accepted and supported by our fans."

Not long ago, Teddy was witness to a scene that shows that their legacy of song remains as fresh as it was when that streak in the '80s kicked it all off.

"I was in Nashville," he says, "walking by this club full of young people--I'm talking 18 or 20. The band started playing 'Dixieland Delight' and everybody in the place started singing and sang all the way through. I had to smile at the longevity of the songs. Maybe some of those kids didn't even know who ALABAMA was, but they knew the music, and so I think that's a tribute to the fact that we spent a career putting out good songs that stand the test of time."

With ALABAMA & Friends, all of us who agree get to celebrate that accomplishment and its legacy one more time.

Marshall Tucker Band Biography

The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock/country rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. While the band had reached the height of its commercial success by the end of the decade, the band has recorded and performed continuously under various lineups for nearly 40 years.
The original lineup of the Marshall Tucker Band, formed in 1972, included lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary songwriter Toy Caldwell (1947–1993), lead vocalist Doug Gray (born 1948), keyboard player, saxophone player, and flautist Jerry Eubanks (born 1950), rhythm guitarist George McCorkle (1946–2007), drummer Paul Riddle (born 1953), and bassist Tommy Caldwell (1949–1980). They signed with Capricorn Records and in 1973 released their first LP, The Marshall Tucker Band.
After Tommy Caldwell was killed in an automobile accident in 1980, he was replaced by bassist Franklin Wilkie. Most of the original band members had left by the mid-1980s to pursue other projects. The band's current lineup consists of Gray on vocals, keyboard player and flautist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist Rick Willis, bassist Pat Elwood, and drummer B.B. Borden.

Origin of the name
The "Marshall Tucker" in the band's name does not refer to a band member, but rather a Spartanburg-area piano tuner. While the band was discussing possible band names one evening in an old warehouse they had rented for rehearsal space, someone noticed that the warehouse's door key had the name "Marshall Tucker" inscribed on it, and suggested they call themselves the "The Marshall Tucker Band," not realizing it referred to an actual person. It later came to light that Marshall Tucker, the blind piano tuner, had rented the space before the band, and his name was inscribed on the key. In his book, Top Pop Singles, 1955-2002, music historian Joel Whitburn attributes "Marshall Tucker" to the owner of the band's rehearsal hall.
History
Early history
The original members (and some later members) of the Marshall Tucker Band had been playing in various lineups under different band names around the Spartanburg area since the early 1960s. In 1966, members of several such bands merged to form the Toy Factory, named after guitarist Toy Caldwell. The Toy Factory's constantly shifting lineup included, at times, Caldwell, his younger brother Tommy, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, and Franklin Wilkie. In the late 1960s, four of the bandmembers served in the U.S. Armed Forces; Toy Caldwell was wounded in Vietnam.
By the 1970s, Toy Caldwell and George McCorkle had returned to Spartanburg, and the Toy Factory had resumed playing in area clubs. In fact, in 1970 the Toy Factory was the opening act for the Allman Brothers when the Allmans played at the "Sitar" music lounge in Spartanburg.
In 1972, Caldwell and McCorkle once again revamped the band's lineup, eventually settling on Tommy Caldwell on bass, George McCorkle rhythm guitar, vocalist Doug Gray, and Jerry Eubanks, flute/tenor sax, while adding Paul Riddle on drums; the new lineup adopted the name "Marshall Tucker Band." Wet Willie lead singer Jimmy Hall told Toy Caldwell to book the band at Grant's Lounge in Macon which he did. After hearing the band play at Grant's Buddy Thornton and Paul Hornsby recorded the band's demo at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Ga. Frank Fenter and Phil Walden signed The Marshall Tucker Band based on those demos.
1970s
The Marshall Tucker Band's self-titled debut, produced by Paul Hornsby, was released in 1973, and certified gold in 1975. All of the tracks were written by Toy Caldwell, including "Can't You See", which was released in 1973 on Capricorn 0023 ("Bubbled Under" at No. 108 on 1 September 1973) and re-released in 1977 on Capricorn 0278 (peaked at No. 75 on 24 September 1977). After the album's release, the band began touring, playing upwards of 300 shows per year throughout the decade. Southern rock fiddler Charlie Daniels later recalled that the Marshall Tucker Band "came onstage and just blew it out from start to finish."
Daniels' first of many collaborations with the Marshall Tucker Band came on the band's second album, A New Life, which was released in 1974, and certified gold in 1977. Daniels and blues guitarist Elvin Bishop were among several musicians that joined the band for Where We All Belong, a double-album (one studio album and one live album) released by the band in 1974 and certified gold that same year. The following year the band's Searchin' for a Rainbow was also certified gold the year of its release, and contained the track "Fire on the Mountain," which peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard charts. Long Hard Ride, the band's fifth consecutive gold album, was released in 1976, and its instrumental title track (which again features Charlie Daniels on fiddle) was nominated for a Grammy. Carolina Dreams, released in 1977 and certified platinum that same year, proved to be the band's most commercially successful album, and included the track "Heard It in a Love Song," which reached No. 14 on the Billboard charts. The band's final Capricorn release came with 1978's Together Forever, which was produced by Stewart Levine. Following the bankruptcy of Capricorn, The Marshall Tucker Band moved to Warner Bros. Records for their ninth album, Running Like the Wind (the band's eighth release was a compilation album entitled Greatest Hits), and they retained Levine as the album's producer.
1980s
Following the completion of the band's tenth album, entitled Tenth, tragedy struck The Marshall Tucker Band. On April 22, 1980, the band's bassist and co-founder, Tommy Caldwell, suffered massive head trauma in a car wreck, and died six days later. Former Toy Factory bassist Franklin Wilkie replaced Caldwell, but the band was never able to recapture its commercial success of the 1970s. On 1982's Tuckerized, only two songs were written by band members; 'Sea, Dreams & Fairy Tales' by Toy Caldwell and 'Sweet Elaine' by George McCorkle. Main songwriter Toy Caldwell only contributed three songs to each of the two albums released in 1983; Just Us and Greetings from South Carolina. After 1983's Greetings from South Carolina, all the rest of the original band members split, sans Doug Gray and Jerry Eubanks.
In 1988 Gray and Eubanks recorded the album Still Holdin' On, their one and only release on the Mercury Records label. Although Gray and Eubanks added new members Rusty Milner, Stuart Swanlund, and Tim Lawter, Still Holdin' On was primarily recorded with studio musicians. The newer members (including newly added keyboardist Don Cameron) had a much greater role, however, on the band's 1990 album, Southern Spirit, released on the Sisaspa label. The album marked a return to the band's country and blues roots.
1990s
In 1992, the Marshall Tucker Band produced its first album for the Cabin Fever label, Still Smokin', which managed to crack the top 70 on the Billboard charts. The band's 1993 release, Walk Outside the Lines, marked a transition to a more country sound, relying less on long improvised jams that were the trademark of the band's early career. The album's title track was co-written by country music star Garth Brooks, a long-time fan of the band who considered writing a track for them a "milestone" in his career.
For 1998's Face Down In the Blues, the band added Spartanburg-area guitarist Ronald Radford and Firefall's multi-instrumentalist David Muse, the latter replacing Jerry Eubanks, who had retired in 1996. Gospel, the band's 1999 album, featured the band's rendition of traditional songs such as The Wayfaring Stranger and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and several original tracks.
Recent history
The Marshall Tucker Band continued recording and performing into the 21st century, playing between 150 and 200 shows per year. The band reissued many of its albums from the 1970s on its new Ramblin' Records label, as well as two two-disc compilations, the first (Anthology) being a 30-year retrospective and the second (Where a Country Boy Belongs) being a collection of the band's country songs. In 2004, they released another studio album, Beyond the Horizon, and the following year released a Christmas album, Carolina Christmas.
Can't You See was used for the opening and closing credits of the Kevin Costner 2008 motion picture Swing Vote. Take the Highway was also used in the movie.
"Can't You See" is also used in the 2001 film Blow.
The band was mentioned in the Florida Georgia Line song "Cruise", which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spawned a remix featuring rapper Nelly which peaked at #6 on the Hot 100. "Cruise" was certified 6x-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, becoming the second-highest selling song in country music history, behind Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now".

Blackberry Smoke Biography

"I think that this record does a really good job of conveying what we do and what we're about," Blackberry Smoke singer-guitarist-songwriter Charlie Starr says of Holding All the Roses, the band's fourth studio album and its first Rounder release. Indeed, Holding All the Roses compellingly captures the energy, attitude and honesty that have already helped to make Blackberry Smoke one of America's hottest live rock 'n' roll outfits, as well as a grass-roots phenomenon with a large and fiercely loyal fan base that reflects the band's tireless touring regimen and staunch blue-collar work ethic.

The 12-song set—produced by Brendan O'Brien, whose previous production clients have included AC/DC, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young—showcases the Atlanta-based quintet's emotion-charged mix of bluesy rock, gospel soul, and country, with Starr's raspy twang matched by his and Paul Jackson's snarling guitars, Brandon Still's hauntingly expressive organ and piano, and the propulsive sibling rhythm section of Richard and Brit Turner. The songs' musical and emotional appeal is further elevated by the band's three-part vocal harmonies and expanded arrangements that make judicious use of fiddle and added percussion.

The five musicians' instinctive musical rapport manifests itself equally strongly on such surging rockers as "Let Me Help You (Find the Door)," "Living in the Song" and "Wish In One Hand," and on such intimate, introspective tunes as "Woman in the Moon," "Too High" and the stirring, acoustic-textured "No Way Back to Eden." The album's musical and emotional depth demonstrates how Blackberry Smoke continues to extend and expand the Southern rock tradition.

The musical maturity that's on display throughout Holding All the Roses underlines Blackberry Smoke's steady evolution from rough-edged club act to arena-ready rock 'n' roll juggernaut. Since its formation in 2000, the band has never shied away from hard work, playing more than 250 shows a year and building an ever-expanding audience on the strength of its live shows, and with a noticeable lack of mainstream hype.

"We've built our audience one fan at a time," states drummer Brit Turner. "Sometimes it feels like we know every one of them personally, and we're constantly amazed and moved by their loyalty and passion."

Along the way, Blackberry Smoke has found time to record a handful of independent releases, including the albums Bad Luck Ain't No Crime, Little Piece of Dixie, and The Whippoorwill (the latter on country megastar Zac Brown's Southern Ground label), plus a pair of EPs, the concert DVD Live at the Georgia Theatre, and the live CD/DVD set Leave A Scar. Although those releases found favor with fans and were received warmly by critics, the band members feel that Holding All the Roses marks the first time that Blackberry Smoke has had the time and resources to make an album that properly captures their musical essence.

"In the past, we never really had the resources to make the kind of records we wanted to make," says Charlie, adding, "But this time around, everything lined up, and we were able to create an album that covers a lot of musical ground and works as a listening experience from beginning to end."

It certainly helped that the band found a kindred musical spirit in producer O'Brien, whose affinity for solid songcraft and knack for capturing transcendent moments of musical inspiration made him the ideal man to capture Blackberry Smoke's restless spirit in the studio.

"The whole experience was refreshing and spontaneous," Charlie says of the album's birth cycle. "We got it done pretty quickly, but it didn't feel like we were in a hurry. We chose the songs to represent the different things that we do, and we took the time to work out the running order and figure out how the album should flow. There are a bunch of three-minute songs on there, and a couple that are under three minutes, plus a couple that open up a little bit more and get a little bit jammy, and Brendan was very open about approaching each song to give it what it needed."

"It was a way more comfortable record to make than anything we'd done before," adds Brit. "We were excited to work with Brendan for so many reasons, one being that he gets us and we don't have to explain where we're coming from, which hasn't always been the case in the past. We were all on the same page about the music, so we could just get down to business."

Getting down to business is something that Blackberry Smoke has always been good at. In addition to winning fans and friends throughout the United States, they've toured Europe three times, had their songs featured in movie and video-game soundtracks, and performed for country legend George Jones (who guested on the band's second album) on his 80th birthday.

Jones isn't the only notable artist who's come out as a Blackberry Smoke fan. Dierks Bentley, Jamey Johnson, Grace Potter and the Zac Brown Band have all gone on record as admirers, while ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons admiringly advised, "The band is tight enough. Quit practicing!," and no less an authority than Gregg Allman stated "That band is gonna put Southern Rock back on the map."

The critics agree. The Washington Post proclaimed them "a band that can reclaim Southern Rock for the South," and the Atlanta Journal Constitution declared, "The Atlanta quintet is the real deal." Billboard praised their "epic-sounding ballads," andThe New Orleans Times-Picayune called them "an airtight band that is far smarter and more sophisticated than casual observers may realize... Blackberry Smoke's amalgamation of hearty Southern rock, alt-country and deep soul is equally suited for roadhouses or arenas."

The acclaim extends to the other side of the Atlantic. The London Times noted, "Unpretentious and as musically tight as you would expect a band who plays night after night would be, Blackberry Smoke brought a little bit of Georgia sunshine to a rainy night in London." The English hard-rock journal Kerrang! proclaimed, "Blackberry Smoke are now a Big Deal... They've achieved it simply because they're awesome."

Much of that awesomeness lies in the potent musical and personal rapport that's at the core of Blackberry Smoke's music. "It's evolved over the years, but that chemistry has been there from day one," says Charlie. "It's always been about the five of us listening to each other and creating something that belongs to all of us. When we started, we were young and impatient, playing everything too fast and with everything always turned up to 10. But eventually you calm down and settle into the music, and you learn to play with patience and soul."

"Everything with us has been a natural progression, but it's always felt like it's been about the five of us and about the chemistry," Brit asserts. "Me and my brother and Charlie had played together a lot in other bands, so that was a really strong foundation. And all five of us grew up loving songs that were really well-crafted, whether they were by the Beatles or the Stones or Aerosmith or Skynyrd. That's a big part of our common ground, and I think that we're always trying to come up with songs and records that are as good as the ones that we grew up with."

While the five bandmates are excited that their move to Rounder offers the potential of reaching new listeners, they're not planning on altering their approach for mass consumption.

"The plan for this record," Charlie says, "is to go out and play as much as we can, and just take it to the people. There's so much that's out of your hands when you release a record, but that's the part that we can control. That, and making an effort to make a better record every time."

"We've always been really hands-on and deeply involved, and that's not going to change," concludes Brit, who adds, "The thing is, we really do care about this stuff, and we don't have it in us to phone it in. We really care about what we do, and we care about every person who comes to see us play, even the jackass who's screaming for the song that we just played. So we're ready to pick up the ball and run with it."

Whiskey Myers Biography

Whiskey Myers is an American Southern Rock/Red Dirt/Country group from Palestine, Texas composed of Cody Cannon(lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Cody Tate(lead and rhythm guitar), John Jeffers(lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jeff Hogg(drums) and Gary Brown(bass). In 2008, they signed with Smith Entertainment and released their debut album, Road of Life. Their second album, Firewater, was released by Wiggy Thump in 2011 and debuted in the Top 30 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, largely thanks to the single "Ballad of a Southern Man". On February 4, 2014, the album ,Early Morning Shakes, was released and received mostly positive reviews. They have not yet released a live album. A new studio album was announced in 2015.
The band started when friends Cody Cannon and Cody Tate began playing guitar together, inspired by the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings, and many other southern rock and country artists. After being joined by friend John Jeffers, they began calling themselves Lucky Southern. After playing together for a while, the three decided to start a more serious band. They enlisted friend Jeff Hogg to play drums, and asked Cannon's cousin Gary Brown to play bass(although he did not know how to play the instrument at the time). They began playing shows around their hometown and native state of Texas, slowly starting to build a following on the Red Dirt scene.

Reckless Kelly Biography

Reckless Kelly is an Austin, Texas based Americana/Texas Country band. The band was formed in Bend, Oregon, but moved to Austin in January 1997. Their name was inspired by Australian bank robber Ned Kelly.

Led by brothers Willy (vocals/guitar) and Cody Braun (vocals/fiddle/mandolin/harmonica), alternative country-rock outfit Reckless Kelly formed in Bend, Oregon, before relocating to Austin, Texas, in October, 1996. The Brauns had previously toured with their father in Muzzie Braun & the Boys, a Western swing band, and were joined in their own group by lead guitarist Casey Pollock, bassist Chris Schelske, and drummer Jay Nazz.

The band played locally on historic Sixth Street in Austin. They turned a small bar & restaurant called Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar, into a noted music venue. From November 1996 through May 1998, they packed the place out with their infamous Monday night show. During this period other music venues in Austin invited them to play, including the Continental club, the Saxon pub, Stubb's barbecue, and Antone's home of the blues.

Reckless Kelly's debut album, Millican, appeared in the fall of 1997, and was officially released in 1998; Acoustic: Live at Stubb's and The Day both followed two years later, after which David Abeyta replaced Pollock on lead guitar. Under the Table and Above the Sun from 2003 began the band's relationship with the high-profile Sugar Hill label and won the hearts of the music press and honky tonkin' legend Joe Ely, who sang the band's praises in interviews. Wicked Twisted Road was released in 2005, and the next year the live album Reckless Kelly Was Here captured the band's stage presence. Bulletproof was released in the summer of 2008 on a new label, Yep Roc Records, and includes tracks critical of and reflecting on recent sociopolitical unfoldings, such as the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, Reckless released an album of songs by one of their musical heroes, Pinto Bennett. Somewhere in Time, in the band's own words, highlighted their love of "straight-up honky tonk". The band regularly returns to Austin to play before capacity crowds at venues like Nutty Brown Cafe & Amphitheatre.

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers Biography

North Carolina alt-country band Sarah Shook and the Disarmers have announced plans for their second LP Years to be released on April 6th and given an early preview by sharing the song "Good as Gold," which you hear above.
"Good as Gold" builds on the downtrodden country rock of the band's debut LP Sidelong, with a lean, unfussy arrangement that emphasizes tautness and Shook's caustic, quavering vocal attack. Addressing a lover who dangles the threat of leaving over her, Shook responds that she's more concerned with losing her heart and pride than losing a wayward lover. Given that scenario, she concludes that it's probably best to not drag out the inevitable: "Baby, if you go, it's over for good. And I'm as good as gone," she sings, and it sounds like a promise.

Randall King Biography

From the West Texas plains of Hereford, Randall King, a 4th generation "hay hauler", son of a trucker, brings modernized neo-traditional/honky-tonk to life. His writing reflects his appreciation of his songwriting heroes, Haggard, Whitley & Jackson, and is characterized with a voice that rings true country.

The Steel Woods Biography

The Steel Woods are an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. They are in the style of music of Southern rock. They released their debut record via Woods Music / Thirty Tigers.
A quartet of Southern rock traditionalists from Nashville, the Steel Woods lay claim to the sound pioneered by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Like Skynyrd, The Steel Woods balance heavy blues-rock with Southern poetry, and they add a bit of plainspoken outlaw country to the mix, as evidenced on their 2017 debut, Straw in the Wind.
Prior to forming the Steel Woods, guitarists Wes Bayliss and Jason "Rowdy" Cope were both pursuing musical careers. Cope found work as a session musician and played in Jamey Johnson's band, but once he met Bayliss at a Nashville gig, the two clicked. First they became friends, then they wound collaborating, adding bassist Johnny Stanton and drummer Jay Tooke to round out the lineup. An eponymous EP came out in 2016, and the next year saw the release of Straw in the Wind on Thirty Tigers/Woods Music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

History
The Steel Woods were cofounded by Wes Bayliss and Jason "Rowdy" Cope. The two Southern musicians met while performing the same bill in Nashville, and after a variety of fishing trips in Tennessee together, they began writing music. Their album Straw in the Wind was released on May 19, 2017, with a guest vocal appearance by Lindi Ortega. It has drummer Jay Tooke and bassist Johnny Stanton. Influences on the album range from Led Zeppelin and Metallica to Darrell Scott and Jason Isbell. It was the band's debut album. Brent Cobb also contributed as a songwriter. While it came out in the United Kingdom on May 18, it came out in the United States on May 19. On June 10, 2017, it was at 42 on the Independent Albums chart put out by Billboard.
They released a music video for their track "Straw in the Wind" in July 2017. In September 2017, they performed in Evansville, Indiana.
Personnel
Wes Bayliss - guitar and vocals
Jason Cope - guitar
Jay Tooke - drums & vocals
Johnny Stanton - bassist
Albums
Straw in the Wind
References